A top official of Biman Bangladesh Airlines said they will now be able to ferry 1,370 more intending pilgrims by the five flights. A few hundred more will be carried to Jeddah by three flights of a chartered Yemeni aircraft, he added.

"The Saudi authorities made a commitment and we'll officially get the five landing slots by tonight," said a Biman official asking not to be named.

Moreover, the government yesterday chartered an aircraft from Yemenia, state airlines of Yemen, that will operate three flights from today.

Besides, Biman cancelled its yesterday's scheduled flight to Rome to ferry pilgrims to Jeddah.

The Biman official said the Yemeni aircraft will face no problem in ferrying the pilgrims as it has air-landing permission.

However, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab), federating body of 363 hajj agencies, on Sunday expressed its fear that the five DC-10 flights and the chartered plane will be able to carry a little over 1,650 pilgrims.

"Even after confirmation of the five slots, 700 to 800 intending pilgrims will miss the Hajj," Haab President Abdus Shakur told The Daily Star last night.

He said concerned officials are trying hard under last moment pressure to send all the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. "Why such pressure was not created two months ago?" he questioned.

Some 51,000 intending pilgrims have obtained Saudi visas.

The government must send all of them by January 4 as the Saudi government seals off the special hajj airport that day.

ROME FLIGHT CANCELLED
Biman authorities cancelled the DC-10 flight BG-0851 scheduled to fly to Rome in the morning and diverted it to Jeddah. The new flight, BG-055, was scheduled to take off at 9:20 last night.

The sudden cancellation of the flight caused sufferings to the passengers. Biman sources said the authorities may arrange another flight BG-001 for Rome today.

HAJJ CAMP
Meanwhile, a few hundred non-ballottee pilgrims at the Hajj Camp in Ashkona in Uttara are still passing times in uncertainty and anxiety as most of them do not know when their plane tickets will be confirmed.

Many intending pilgrims with a few hundred relatives are languishing at the camp.

Many of them, including women, have been passing their days miserably along with some relatives on the camp's ground floor. They are exposed to shivering cold, mosquitoes and acute toilet crisis.

The Haab president said around 50 percent of the 2,000 pilgrims at the camp are passing days in uncertainty as they could not confirm bookings for air tickets.

Hajj Officer Abi Abdullah yesterday said they are asking the non-ballottee pilgrims not to panic.